Looks like I will be eating tag soup since I can't hunt the last week of the season. Turkey hunting this season felt a lot like deer hunting. Sit and wait as opposed to getting them to respond to calling. This is also the first year that I never heard them gobbling on the roost like I normally do. The property is loaded with birds, but they have been tight lipped. I also hunted a piece of turkey heaven that had not been hunted the entire season. Yep, you guessed it. No Gobbles! Frustrating for sure but there is always next year!
My girlfriend and I are headed up there tonight. My friend took a nice one up there a couple of days ago. I hope we have good luck.
It has been a weird year. The areas I hunted seem to be devoid of 2 year olds. I didn't hunt the first 5 days. March 20 through about march 28 it was difficult to find birds gobbling in any area consistently on the roost. About March 29 it turned on and stayed red hot til about the 10th of April. I was fortunate enough to kill 5 longbeards. Since then I have called in 5 others. 3 were killed and 2 were missed. I have been on quite a few hunts that were "close calls" just not quite close enough.
My strategy was and is simple. I go every day like it is my job. But I know what you mean about the not gobbling. I have gotten that same report from many others across the state. All the birds I killed came to the call gobbling before 8:30 AM.
When and where were you hunting?
Florence, Horry, Marion, and Williamsburg county. Most reports from people around here have been the same. A few guys killed some early but nothing the past 2 weeks. I have found the birds really unresponsive even after the hens left them. Very weird season indeed.
I got one down in Jasper county and one in Colleton County. Neither bird gobbled much. Killed them because I was within 50 yards of roost tree, they couldnt stand not checking the new girl. Colleton county bird had 5 or 6 hens still with him, that last week. There was a second bird gobbling a 100 yards away same morning. been back for him three other mornings. Havent heard him gobble a peep. Know he is there though.
They are pretty quiet this year for sure. The ones that have been gobbling havent acted interested. Georgia has been the same way year.
glad to see it's just not me.... i live for that first gobble in the morning and not being able to hear it this season has sucked the fun out of it.
Strange in Bama this year too! I think our early spring in feburary had something to do with it. I know it has something to do with the longer days but bs I am blaming it on daylight savings time ;DP
I was going to blame coyotes. ;D
One guy in south Alabama said he remembers one year that he heard one turkey gobble the entire season and that was his worst year ever. This is his second worst according to him. I can count the number of gobblers and hens that I have called up this year on one hand and that is pathetic since I usually call up 8-12 gobblers a season and sometimes in a day. I'm not positive my safety will work back and forth this year.LOL.
You SC story is so close to my experience this year that it is scary. A bud came back from Va with two on a three day hunt.
i have a few friends that got lucky and have killed some birds. but almost every single one of them said that the birds came in silent and would not gobble a bit.